Published: Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 06:59 PM.

Entering Thursday's doubleheader at home against Tallahassee, the Northwest Florida State softball team brought with it an offense featuring seven players hitting above .322, hitting a collective .358 and averaging just shy of eight runs a contest.

So when the Raiders entered the fourth inning down 5-1 after starting out 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, there was little panic. There was no pressing at the plate. Instead, the heavy-hitting lineup plugged away and, as they've done all season, put runs on the scoreboard.

Jenn Phillips went 3-for-3 with a home run and four runs scored, Michelle Phelps added three hits, a pair of runs and an RBI and the Raiders rode a nine-run fourth inning to what would be an 11-6 win and the start of their second straight conference doubleheader sweep.

"We just knew we had to pull through so we stepped up our game hitting and decided to come back," said Phillips, who reached base in six of her seven trips to the plate and plated two in the twin bill that concluded with a 13-0 win. "We wanted to win."

Winning has been a theme lately for the 32-10 Raiders, who improved to 15-2 at home and took sole possession of first place in the Panhandle Conference over 4-2 Gulf Coast. The Eagles, meanwhile, fell to 1-5 in conference play and 17-19 overall.

"We're happy right now, but it's a long season," NWF State skipper Jack Byerley said.

After putting up 31 combined runs in their sweep of Pensacola earlier this week, Thursday marked the fourth straight game the Raiders have tallied double-digit runs.

And it truly was a complete, top-to-bottom-of-the-lineup effort.

Alongside her sister and Phelps, Jaime Phillips went 4-for-7 on the night with a team-best five RBIs and Amber Burton went 3-for-6 with two RBIs. Also, Hannah Day and Leticia Matsuoka each drove in three runs, Shelby Gainer reached in five of her seven plate appearances and Lena Land plated two.

"You have to take advantage of your opportunities and that's what we did,"

Benefiting from the hit parade were Raiders pitchers Haley Goodson, Jessica Colliver and Phelps, the last of whom tossed a three-hit shutout in the nightcap to earn the win and close out the sweep.

"She just gets it done and is very confident in what she does," Byerley said.

Earning the other win was Goodson, who didn't allow an earned run during three innings of two-hit ball in the opener.

Meanwhile, the Raiders fell got a rare rocky start from Colliver. The right hander entered the tilt with a team-leading nine win but struggled, yielding a two-run homer to Alexis Huss in the second frame and then allowing the first four batters to reach in the third as part of a three-run inning that sent her to the dugout.

But her night wouldn't be done. And neither would her offense, who sent 14 women to the plate as part of a nine-run fourth frame.

In that 34-minute frame, Jenn Phillips led off with a single and Phelps doubled her home on a rope to left. Brittany Wright, who relieved an injured Ashley Dobson in the third innings, then loaded the bases by issuing a pair of walks to Gainer and Jenna Firestein. Land then drew an RBI walk, Day reached on an RBI grounder that the third baseman botched and Matsuoka was hit by a pitch to stake the Raiders to a 5-0 lead. Jaime Phillips followed with a bases-clearing double to right center and Burton later pushed the lead to 10-5 with a two-run double to center.

"We're very capable of hitting that way, but we've got to come out fired up," Byerley said. "We just came out flat after those big wins over Pensacola."

Jenn Phillips would later tack on a home run to center in the sixth and Colliver redeemed her earlier struggles with two scoreless innings of relief.

In the nightcap, the Raiders rode that momentum.

Jaime Phillips delivered a two-out RBI single to left in the first, and the rout was on.

While Phelps dazzled with a three-hit, her offense went to work.

The Raiders scored five runs in the second, highlighted by a Land two-run single and a Day sacrifice fly, and then Matsuoka and the Phillips sisters each delivered RBI base knocks in a three-run third. Ahead 9-0, the Raiders got RBIs from Day and Matsuoka again in fourth as they scored four to put the game well out of reach at 13-0.

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Entering Thursday's doubleheader at home against Tallahassee, the Northwest Florida State softball team brought with it an offense featuring seven players hitting above .322, hitting a collective .358 and averaging just shy of eight runs a contest.

So when the Raiders entered the fourth inning down 5-1 after starting out 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, there was little panic. There was no pressing at the plate. Instead, the heavy-hitting lineup plugged away and, as they've done all season, put runs on the scoreboard.

Jenn Phillips went 3-for-3 with a home run and four runs scored, Michelle Phelps added three hits, a pair of runs and an RBI and the Raiders rode a nine-run fourth inning to what would be an 11-6 win and the start of their second straight conference doubleheader sweep.

"We just knew we had to pull through so we stepped up our game hitting and decided to come back," said Phillips, who reached base in six of her seven trips to the plate and plated two in the twin bill that concluded with a 13-0 win. "We wanted to win."

Winning has been a theme lately for the 32-10 Raiders, who improved to 15-2 at home and took sole possession of first place in the Panhandle Conference over 4-2 Gulf Coast. The Eagles, meanwhile, fell to 1-5 in conference play and 17-19 overall.

"We're happy right now, but it's a long season," NWF State skipper Jack Byerley said.

After putting up 31 combined runs in their sweep of Pensacola earlier this week, Thursday marked the fourth straight game the Raiders have tallied double-digit runs.

And it truly was a complete, top-to-bottom-of-the-lineup effort.

Alongside her sister and Phelps, Jaime Phillips went 4-for-7 on the night with a team-best five RBIs and Amber Burton went 3-for-6 with two RBIs. Also, Hannah Day and Leticia Matsuoka each drove in three runs, Shelby Gainer reached in five of her seven plate appearances and Lena Land plated two.

"You have to take advantage of your opportunities and that's what we did,"

Benefiting from the hit parade were Raiders pitchers Haley Goodson, Jessica Colliver and Phelps, the last of whom tossed a three-hit shutout in the nightcap to earn the win and close out the sweep.

"She just gets it done and is very confident in what she does," Byerley said.

Earning the other win was Goodson, who didn't allow an earned run during three innings of two-hit ball in the opener.

Meanwhile, the Raiders fell got a rare rocky start from Colliver. The right hander entered the tilt with a team-leading nine win but struggled, yielding a two-run homer to Alexis Huss in the second frame and then allowing the first four batters to reach in the third as part of a three-run inning that sent her to the dugout.

But her night wouldn't be done. And neither would her offense, who sent 14 women to the plate as part of a nine-run fourth frame.

In that 34-minute frame, Jenn Phillips led off with a single and Phelps doubled her home on a rope to left. Brittany Wright, who relieved an injured Ashley Dobson in the third innings, then loaded the bases by issuing a pair of walks to Gainer and Jenna Firestein. Land then drew an RBI walk, Day reached on an RBI grounder that the third baseman botched and Matsuoka was hit by a pitch to stake the Raiders to a 5-0 lead. Jaime Phillips followed with a bases-clearing double to right center and Burton later pushed the lead to 10-5 with a two-run double to center.

"We're very capable of hitting that way, but we've got to come out fired up," Byerley said. "We just came out flat after those big wins over Pensacola."

Jenn Phillips would later tack on a home run to center in the sixth and Colliver redeemed her earlier struggles with two scoreless innings of relief.

In the nightcap, the Raiders rode that momentum.

Jaime Phillips delivered a two-out RBI single to left in the first, and the rout was on.

While Phelps dazzled with a three-hit, her offense went to work.

The Raiders scored five runs in the second, highlighted by a Land two-run single and a Day sacrifice fly, and then Matsuoka and the Phillips sisters each delivered RBI base knocks in a three-run third. Ahead 9-0, the Raiders got RBIs from Day and Matsuoka again in fourth as they scored four to put the game well out of reach at 13-0.